


A Mistake Was Made

by Thornbriar



Category: Tales of Symphonia
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Angst, Mild Language, Minor Action, Minor Violence, One Shot, Unplanned Pregnancy, only in the beginning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-13
Updated: 2019-12-13
Packaged: 2021-02-25 22:14:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,640
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21772774
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thornbriar/pseuds/Thornbriar
Summary: Late entry for Krannaweek 2019: Pregnancy.Kratos made many mistakes in his past. Anna believes good things can come from mistakes. And the one mistake they share may be the best one they've ever made.
Relationships: Anna/Kratos Aurion
Kudos: 8





	A Mistake Was Made

_Oh great, another small swarm of giant beetles._ The third batch they’ve encountered this morning. Their route to Palmacosta brought plenty of run-ins with pests like these, as well as bandits and other local monsters. Having opted to keep off the main road to avoid being seen in the open by Desians, this was expected. At least this longer trek also meant more loot and gald in their pockets, and that Sephira Doll Anna picked up before the left Asgard was quite handy with the latter. 

Kratos took the lead, as usual, drawing the beetles’ attention on himself. They took the bait, buzzing all around him, giving Anna the window to reduce their numbers from behind. She targeted the one furthest away and called upon the cold, but had difficulty casting all of the sudden. She couldn’t focus at all, her mind going anywhere and everywhere but where it needed to be. She called on this arte countless times before, it should’ve been easy. _Something’s off._

Her target came towards her now, buzzing grew louder and more annoying as it closed in. It took her everything she had to finish channeling the arte, to create and send several frosty spears hurling at the oversized bug. The first two tore at its red and translucent wings, the third pierced it through, then the skewered beetle thumped to the ground. 

_One down, the rest to go._

Up ahead, Kratos took down another beetle with a swing of his sword. Two left. He went after the third enemy, unaware of the fourth coming in from behind. 

“Kratos!” Anna called out. “Watch out!” 

She reached for her staff and hurried towards the bulk of the fight. Only a few steps before she needed to stop, heart racing and out of breath. _What the hell is going on!?_

Fortunately, Kratos heard her warning and reacted immediately. “Light spear cannon!” He jumped and his blade trailed in a spiral. The force of the trail knocked the two remaining opponents back, and struck the fourth with another attack, killing it instantly. That left only the third. Anna finally recomposed herself, and rushed over and swung her staff with all she had. The blow grounded the bug. Anna swung again and bashed it in. 

The fight was over, lasting under two minutes, but to her much longer. She wobbled, her legs like weathered wood and propped herself on her staff for support. Only a few bugs and she was already worn out? They were nothing, she fought foes much stronger and more lethal than these pests. So why was she so tuckered out like this? Anna couldn't hear anything over her heart drumming, so she almost jumped when she felt a hand touch her shoulder, even if it was just Kratos. 

“Are you alright?” He asked. 

“I-I don’t know,'' she answered between breaths. 

“Is the exsphere causing any of-”, 

“N-No,” She cut him off. “I don’t think so.” The life-sucking rock barely stirred of late, even now only irritating as usual. No, this wasn't the work of the exsphere, but something else. She endured episodes of nausea and fluttering in her lower abdomen when it started, but now accompanied by a dull pain and fatigue these sensations persisted too long and were too progressive to ignore. 

Anna recalled something from her youth when she was overhearing her folks talking about one of their neighbors. They said their neighbor had some of the same symptoms she’s experiencing now, that they might be signs that she was- 

_No way!_ Could she really be-? 

“Hey, Kratos,” she turned and met his worried face, something she doesn't see every day, or almost ever. 

“Y-you don’t that’s it’s possible that-” 

“That what?” 

Anna tried to stand up straight, only to teeter, dizzy and heavy from her own weight. Kratos caught her before she fell and scooped her up. Even as close as they were now, she couldn’t help but blush when being held by this. But now wasn’t the time to be worrying. 

_Nor the time to be smitten…_

“Later,” she said. “Let's not do this in the open.” The longer they stood there made them more likely to be spotted by Desians. 

“We can figure this out when we reach Palmacosta.” 

Kratos slightly smirked, as if she said something smart for once. if she wasn’t like this then maybe she would’ve argued that. 

“I concur,” he agreed, and they continued onward towards the harbor city. 

Kratos carried her on foot the rest of their journey, about an hour and a half. Anna still thought it took forever, silently wishing Kratos didn’t take off his exsphere so they could’ve flown all the way. Or if Noishe was here with them, they could’ve breezed through the fields of grass and wood and arrived days before now. _Why did that damn dog-protozoan-thing have to run off at a time like this?_ She tried to sleep in Kratos' arms, but her mind kept ruminating over the possibilities of what's happening to her. Still, they made it, and surprisingly with no more brushes with monsters or people. 

The sun shined directly above the ocean, creating bright ribbons that rippled upon the horizon. Palmacosta reminded her so much of Luin with its buildings atop the water and daily catches of fish, and yet here people seemed livelier. Streets were filled with uproars, whether it be merchants luring potential buyers in, children playing, or even the priests of the Church trying to spread the word of the “Goddess”, it was something. This city also had a ranch nearby, but much further away compared to how close the Asgard Ranch was near the “City of Hope”. 

The thought of that awful place was enough for Anna’s skin to crawl, recalling a few of the horrors she endured over the years. She decided she’d sooner let herself die than return there, but for now, she’d fight on to keep living as long as she could help it. 

Kratos immediately searched for a doctor, ushering her to one that kept a low profile, one that didn't seem too shady and would gladly take them in. They were both seated then asked a myriad of questions, so many she couldn’t keep track of them. Anna, like Kratos, answered only as much as necessary, making no additional remarks of detail that gave any hints of who they were and what they were hiding. 

Anna could barely focus on what was being said, slouching in her chair and fighting her closing eyes. She wanted this to be done with so they could find someplace to stay the night, the ideas of stuffing her face with delicious food and sleeping in a bed instead of nature’s floor so inviting. She yawned drifted off like this now and then between questions, only snapping back to reality when the doctor asked more personal questions such as her and Kratos’ “interactions” recently. They answered honestly, though both embarrassed to admit it. She noticed that Kratos had been looking down trying to hide his reddened face as he answered that one. Then she was asked if she had any bleeding lately and realized she hadn’t. The picture was becoming clearer to her, and then the doctor confirmed it when he stated: 

“M’am, you’re pregnant.” 

The stayed stiff in their seats. She just stared at the doctor with eyes wide, and Kratos kept quiet, more frozen than usual. 

_Shit! It is what I thought!_

The doctor ran them through a few things on what and what not to do and offered a book on pregnancy before dismissing them. They left and managed to score a room at a nice inn with the extra gald they had. Kratos headed out to get food and restock on supplies with the leftover money, and Anna napped in the bed, within the illusion of safety from the inn’s walls and a locked door. 

She assumed she slept for a few hours, because when she woke up the world outside the window almost completely gave to darkness as dusk would soon fade into the night. The sound of lively streets now hushed, only dim candlelit posts stood and shadows remained. Anna sat up and lit a candle on the nightstand by the bed, then remembered the words that the doctor told her earlier today. She brought her hands over her stomach. To her, Kratos, as well as Noishe, were already considered family, and soon they would be welcoming another. She closed her eyes and smiled at the idea of becoming a parent, already wondering about what their child would be like, and how they will raise him or her to be. 

_How will we be able to raise a child?_ Her smile faded, and her thoughts soured. She was pregnant, not only carrying that exsphere but now a child too. Her newfound joy was gone, and fear took its place. The Desians will continue to come after her as long as she hosted the cursed gem, and bringing a child into a hellish world like this one would make living on the run more difficult. Even with the extra gald, they were barely getting by and avoiding their enemy. What would they do to their child should she be caught? _Would they put our baby through the same hell they did me?_ Already protective of the new life growing inside her, but what could she do on her own? 

Anna wished Kratos was here, then realized he was never usually out for this long. _I wonder what he thinks of this._ Another worrisome thought crept into her head. _What if he leaves because of this?_ She wrapped herself in her arms, sinking under the weight of these thoughts. 

The door clicked. Clicked a few more times, then squealed open. The candlelight outlined Kratos’, coming into the room carrying a few brown bags. As he took them out of the bags and set them on the table She could make out some of the stuff he bought. A small sack of something, some gels, the sky-blue fluid in clear bottles, a few reddish-brown bottles, and several slim ivories. She knew most of them, except the sack’s contents, and not the small greenish bottle. 

He went for the chair next to the table and seated himself. Silence hung in the room. He was as blank as ever, though now she wished he wasn't. He refrained from eye contact, not a word, just sitting there with arms crossed. Perhaps he had the same thoughts as she did. 

After a few minutes, it became too awkward for Anna. She slowly left the bed and walked across the dimly lit room. Kratos looked harder to approach in the dark. 

“Hey Kratos,” she spoke quietly as if she was trying to reason with a cornered animal. 

“Talk to me.” He shifted in his chair, still avoiding eye contact but still faced her direction. He tapped his foot repeatedly. 

“How,” he began. “How is this possible?” 

“You're asking me? You're the one who’s been alive how long again!?” 

“Anna, in the history of the angels, of Cruxis, this has never happened before, never thought to be possible.” He spoke like he usually did when he explained things, with few words as possible and a hint of condensation. She was used to it by now, plus after suffering yells and slurs from past captors, this wasn’t the worst she’s heard. 

“Then again, you haven't been wearing your angel exsphere, what's it called again?” 

“Cruxis Crystal,” he grumbled while he looked to his left hand, recalling that his jewel was not mounted there, as it wasn’t for almost a year now. 

__

“Right.” 

__

_Honestly, how the hell does someone like him forget something like that?_

__

Silence returned. She felt the need to say something, but unable to find the right words. She scavenged through her brain to find even the dumbest thing to say, but then Kratos got up and approached her. 

__

“Kratos?” He kept from looking at her, but the angel placed his hands onto her shoulders, the weight pressing her into place. 

__

“I’m sorry, I didn't think this could happen. I was careless and made another mistake.” 

__

Anna fought the urge to roll her eyes at him. He forgets who he’s talking to. Anna, who wouldn’t take anything seriously until it became urgent most of the time, who would take forever to get ready and still forget something important when heading out, who would laugh or blurt something out at the wrong time or place. 

__

She makes mistakes almost all the time, but then she deflated, remembering what Kratos told her about the angels and how it's like being one for so long. If angels forget what that's like for so long as he says, then their idea of heaven was more like hell. This guy forgets that everyone isn't perfect and makes mistakes almost all the time. 

__

And she needs to be the one to remind him of that. 

__

“Yeah, but you know? No one lives on without making mistakes, and sometimes the best things come from them.” 

__

“But I’ve made plenty of mistakes, Anna. All of Cruxis, the world regeneration system, the ranches. None of it should've happened and yet I allowed for it. They're all mistakes.” 

__

She didn't know whether to be concerned or to pity him. She knew she could never fully understand how deep his sins run, no matter how much he disclosed. But still, she wished he wouldn’t beat himself up like this. Though he tries to deny it, even if he is an angel, deep down he’s still human. 

__

“That may be true, but if not for those mistakes, I may not be here or even the person I am now, and I may never have met you. Despite what you've done, you're here trying to stop Cruxis, right? You’re trying to do something about it.” She closed the gap between them and wrapped her arms around his waist. She could feel Kratos bring one hand to her back, and the other to her head with his fingers gently raking through her hair. 

__

“As much as I wish I was never taken to that ranch, I'm glad I got to meet you, Kratos.” She shifted her head up, and met his rust-colored eyes, catching the flickering flames as he looked back at her. He looked so gentle like this, how under all that stone demeanor, kindness still existed. Then he pulled her down as he returned to the chair. Now on his lap, and not needing to look up to face him. 

__

“We’ve made it so far, We can do this.” 

__

“Yeah.” He smiled slightly, then met her lips with his own in a chaste kiss. When they parted, she rested her head on his shoulder. 

__

_A steady rhythm_ , she could listen to his heartbeat like this all night. 

__

So there they were. Not another word from either of them, but words weren’t necessary. They remained like this for some time, until Anna gently pulled herself from their embrace. 

__

“Say, what's that green bottle for?” 

__

“Medicine, to ease your symptoms for a while.” 

__

“Oh thank Martel,” she may know the Goddess was fake but that didn’t stop Anna from saying her name in relief. 

__

A few more minutes, then she stood up and brought her hands together. 

__

“Okay, so dinner then. What did you get?” 

__

“I figured you would want something light so bought some things for risotto tonight.” 

__

“Okay, risotto it is then.” She then reached for his hands and slightly pulled him as he stood up. They headed down to the kitchen to make a meal to last. Tomorrow morning, they will be heading out again, so the occasion needed to be special. 

__

And a coming addition to their family is something special after all.

__


End file.
